The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell (Review and Give-Away)

Odalie Lazare could be the other typist. The pretty one. The charming one. The mysterious arrival to the precinct, who sits among Marie, Iris and Rose as naturally as if she is one of them. Even if her expensive brooch, and glossy black bobbed hair, set her apart from the plain stenographers who are the ones required to take the official transcripts of criminal proceedings.

It is soon to be 1925. Rose Baker rents one half of a bedroom in a run-down home teeming with screaming children before she accepts Odalie’s invitation to share her luxurious hotel apartment.

But, what helps pays for these accommodations besides Rose’s meager rent? Rose never sees any money, only that Odalie signs little slips of paper which the obsequious staff present her. Could it be the rich Hungarian father who foots the bill? Does, in fact, such a father even exist? And how is it exactly that Odalie has come to own two diamond bracelets which she only wears at night?

The dreadful story is told through the eyes of Rose, clearly besotted with Odalie’s charm and elegance. But the story is not a reliable one. Twists and turns in Odalie’s tale lead us to eventually doubting Rose herself. The book has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, but I would say it reminded me more of Dennis LeHane’s Shutter Island. Or, even Edgar Allen Poe’s Telltale Heart.

I close the pages in some doubt. Who, exactly, is the other typist? And, whose purpose was she serving? For a chance to read this novel for yourself, simply leave a comment below to be entered in the give-away. The winner will be declared a week from today.